Ralph
Lauren has been designing for 5 decades now and has opened up on his hugely
successful career. Lauren comments that his pieces aren't necessarily about
being fashionable, but rather about "living" because they're just
classic items that are good value for money and also timeless. He explained how
he approaches his work: "I think every time I created a new brand, from
men's to women's to children to home, they were interesting elements. My
clothes are not about fashion. They're about living. They're about how you live
and how you want to live. And they're not about in and out fashion that's
trendy or the hot news of the day. I think most people want stability. They
want to feel that if they go out and buy something, they want good quality,
good value for their money. They don't want to spend it frivolously and find
that it's out of style."
He
adds that his older items are just as chic as his fresher garments and he sees
that many people have worn his clothes consistently throughout the years
because his designs don't go out of style. He says that he never throws out his
past clothes because his older styles continue to be just as relevant as his
new collections: "I can say that I'm about style, not fashion. I'm about
timeless style, about quality, and that doesn't mean it has to be boring. That
means it's something that continues on because I don't throw out my clothes.
The suit that I'm wearing is an old suit. I didn't just make this suit. I like
the familiarity in a way because it's mine. People say, 'I've worn your clothes
for years and my child loves your clothes, my little girl loves your clothes.'
I've been very connected to the people out there that buy my things and who
appreciate it. And sometimes they stop and say it, so that's very nice."
